Ross Bentley has a footnote in the Daytona International Speedway record book as the last driver to win a Rolex 24 At Daytona class in an open cockpit race car.

Driver coach Ross Bentley

It happened in 2003 when Bentley captured the SRPII Class in the last year of the World Sports Car era.

“That was 11 years ago and it just doesn’t seem like that long ago,” he said. “The coolest thing about that race was we didn’t have the fastest car, but the team did an amazing job.”

“That’s what we need to do this week with the ESM Patron cars; they need to drive the perfect race. If we do the same thing we did in 2003, these guys will get a win this weekend.”

Bentley won’t be in the open cockpit this time around. He is a spotter and a driver coach for Ed Brown.

Brown will be driving the No. 2 HPD ARX-03b Honda-powered, open cockpit Prototype with three other drivers. The No. 2 is a sister car to one of the early, overall race favorites, the No. 1 machine of Scott Sharp, Ryan Dalziel and David Brabham.

“I do whatever it takes to help my driver or drivers do their best job,” Bentley said. “During the race it’sbeing a spotter, a cheerleader, it’s fine-tuning; reminding the driver to get on the throttle or brake harder here or there.”

“There are times when I feel like I’m driving the car with my voice. It’s almost like a remote control.”

After practices, Bentley has a computer program that matches data from the car with real-time video from the cockpit.

Bentley can show a driver how to get through a turn better or pass more efficiently.

Brown helps fund the team. He doesn’t have the experience of a full-time road racer.

“He doesn’t have anywhere near the level of experience of most of the guys he is running with,” said Bentley, who has coached for 25 years. “Every time I see him in the race car, he gets a little more confident. He’s doing all the right stuff right now. He’s a sponge. He absorbs all the information.”

In addition to offering driving tips to drivers, sometimes all a driver needs is a little pat on the back or a boost of confidence.

“I’ll look them in the eye and just say, ‘Great job that session!’ and sometimes, that’s all they need,” Bentley said. “It’s like any coaching job. You are constantly building your players up then you give them a couple of things to knock them down again and build them back up.

“Coaching is really rewarding. There are times like you are driving the car, except you don’t get all sweaty.”